July 12 & 13, 2025 Show Notes
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Your crew this weekend:
Barbara Wilson
Guest Co-Host
Service Tech at Monk Office and in-home tech tutor
iPhone: 250-580-2993
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Tech Talk – July 12, 2025 by Tech Talk with Alan Perry
This week on Tech Talk, Alan Perry is joined by in-home tech tutor and printer pro Barbara Wilson from Monk Office. This week’s Tech Talk covers what Canadian travelers need to know before heading to the UK, how to avoid new scams, 3G shutdown updates, and the best way to keep your printer (and wallet) happy.
Or, you can subscribe to "Tech Talk with Alan Perry" (it's free) on any podcast app including these…
1) Watch out for scam YouTube pop-ups claiming your iPhone has been severely damaged by viruses
The scam itself is not new; messages like the one in the screenshot have been appearing on phones for years, but up to now, they've all been web-pages that you;re taken-to when you click on a link for something else.
What's new here is that this scam is now being spread via a pop-up ad on YouTube.
The scammers buy ads on YouTube for one product or service, and then once the ad is approved, they change the content to this scam.
Here's how it works: if you click on the "Install" button on the actual pop-up (not this screenshot!), you'll be taken to a free virus cleaner app (the name changes weekly) on the Apple App Store…
What's the scam? Apps like these are useless free apps, but they come with a free three-day trial which then charges you $19.95 a month USD unless you cancel it! The scammers are gambling that if you do cancel it, it'll be after they got their first $20 out of you.
They avoid getting caught because they delete the app from the app store almost weekly (before anyone can post a review that it's a scam), and replace it with one with a different name. And because apps like these are not harmful to your iPhone/iPad/Mac, it's hard for Apple to detect that they're being used for subscription scamming.
NEVER install apps on the basis of a pop-up screen like the one above!
And if you do get tricked into a subscription app, if it's on an iPhone, use the Apple Support app to request a refund.
If you got it through the Google Play Store, you can get refunded within 48 hours within the Play Store app.
Instructions are below…
2) Watch out for scam Facebook texts, advising that your account is to be permanently deleted because of a trademark violation.
A screenshot of one of these scam texts is on the left.
Note the link they want you to click on to request a review of their "decision" (yellow arrow)…it'll take you to a fake Facebook log-in page hosted on a website in Brazil (.br red circle).
If you put in your Facenbook password, the scammers will send you a message advising that you are going to be sent a security code to confirm your identity, and to type that code in the reply to them.
If you do that, you will be giving the scammers what they need to change your password and take over your Facebook account and lock you out!
NEVER click on links in texts or emails like this.
If you think a message like this is real — it never is — you could go to your Account Status within your Facebook app and look for any Notifications there.
3) Canada Competition Bureau is urging us to avoid smishing texts
Smishing is a type of scam where fraudsters send text messages pretending to be trusted businesses, government agencies, or even people you know.
They try to trick us into clicking malicious links or sharing sensitive info like passwords or credit card numbers. Their goal is to steal our personal data or money.
The Competition Bureau of Canada has created a webpage with tips on how to spot, avoid, and banish smishing texts…
Warning signs
Be cautious of text messages if:
- it comes unexpectedly from an unknown number
- it asks for personal info or requests you click a link
- it creates a sense of urgency
- it claims they are from a trusted business or bank to appear legitimate
Protect yourself
Take these steps to prevent becoming a victim:
- Verify the sender by contacting them through another medium, like the phone number on the official website
- Never click on suspicious links
- Delete smishing messages and block the number
- Ignore texts even if they ask to reply with "STOP" or "NO"
- Flag spam texts by forwarding them to 7726 (SPAM), to help your cellular provider investigate further
- Report suspicious texts. If you believe you’ve come across smishing, report it to Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Government of Canada
Ding! Scammers are hiding in your text messages
Phones are constantly buzzing, and scammers know the easiest way to you is through your text messages. Lately, many people are seeing more text messages from unknown numbers, saying things like “Unpaid highway toll detected on your vehicle. Pay now to avoid fines.” or “We’ve detected suspicious activity on your account – verify now”. Be on the lookout: it could be a common scam known as smishing.
Tech News Of The Week
Items start at #10, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more security items above!
Tip: if an item in these Show Notes has the icon on the right in the upper-right corner, you can click/tap on it to make the additional info open in a new tab.
10) Great news for world travellers: Freedom Mobile has just added 16 more countries to its no-extra-charge "Roam Beyond" service
Canada's 4th national carrier, Quebec-based Freedom Mobile, has been gaining a lot of new subscribers by including Canada/USA/Mexico calling and roaming in almost all of their plans, plus "Roam Beyond" service that lets you use your phone just like here, in more than 100+ countries.
They've naw made their plans even more attractive, by including an additional 16 countries in the "Roam Beyond" coverage, for a total of 120+ countries still at no extra cost. The new countries include two that many Canadians have beden asking-for — Denmark and Honduras — as well as Afghanistan, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cyprus, Guatemala, Iraq, Kosovo, Mauritius, Pakistan, Paraguay, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates. I've put the full list of "Roam Beyond" countries at the end of this item.
Freedom has three plans from which to choose, each with a different amount of "Roam Beyond" data…
If you're only planning one or two international trips in the next year, you can save money by going on a cheaper Canada/US/Mexico plan from Freedom Mobile, and then buy a 30-day "Roam Beyond" travel pass just before you head overseas. Freedom has a choice of two options:
- $30 for 5GB of 5G data good in 120+ countries + unlimited calls within a country and back home
- $50 for 10GB of 5G data good in 120+ countries + unlimited calls within a country and back home
These passes work on both Canada-only and Canada/USA/Mexico plans.
Here's the full expanded list of countries where you can use Freedom Mobile's "Roam Beyond" service…
Africa: Benin, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia
Americas: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, USA
Asia: Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Macao, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, US Virgin Islands
Europe: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England (UK), Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland (UK), Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Scotland (UK), Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican City, Wales (UK)
Oceania: Australia, New Zealand
11) If you're heading to the UK, you now need a £16 online ETA to get into England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland
An ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) is a new digital travel permit that is mandatory for citizens of countries that can visit England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland without a visa for short trips. This includes Canadian citizens.
ETA's started being required on Jan. 8, 2025, and getting one went up in price on Apr. 9, and now costs £16 (about $30 CAD).
A UK ETA is valid for multiple visits for either two years, or when your passport expires — whichever comes first.
Applying for a UK ETA is entirely online and paperless. Canadian applicants can complete the application in less than 20 minutes. You do not need to visit consulates or visa offices for an in-person interview or to submit documents. Important note: in order to get a UK ETA, your passport must not expire within six months of your expected departure from the UK.
It usuallly takes three days to process an ETA application. You'll receive a decision, whether approved or rejected, via the email address you provide when applying. Most airlines flying to the UK now require you to provide proof that you have an ETA (unless you have a British or Irish passport), before they'll let you check-in. Check-out the info below, and then you can apply for an ETA online at the lower link…
Update: several listeners have said that they needed TWO apps to do this on a smartphone: ID Check and UK ETA. Others have said they gave up and did it on their computer.
12a) Going to Europe? You now won't need an ETIAS VISA Waiver till the last quarter of 2026.
ETIAS waivers were supposed to be required starting last year, but that requirement has now been postponed till late 2026.
ETIAS stands for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, and the EU created it in an effort to identify any risks associated with visa waiver-exempt visitors — including Canadians —travelling to Europe.
An ETIAS Visa Waiver will cost €7 which is about $10 CAD.
Canadians under the age of 18 or 70 years of age and older will not have to pay for an ETIAS Visa Waiver, but will still need to get one before travelling to Europe.
The start-up of the program has now been delayed until late next year (six months after the launch of the new "EES" — EU Entry/Exit System now set to begin in October of this year), and when it kicks-in, there'll be a six-month transition period during which an ETIAS Waiver will not be mandatory, but will be strongly encouraged, with express clearance lines for those who have one.
If you're going to Europe this fall, you'll get an EES only if you leave one European country and go to another. You don't need to apply for it in advance, the way you will have to for an ETIAS.
12b) You now need to show proof that you have travel health insurance before you can enter most European countries
More and more countries are now requiring you to show proof that you have Travel Health Insurance before they'll let you enter.
Some European countries such as France, Spain, and Italy, which in 2024 were still exempting visitors who are allowed to enter without a VISA, have now removed that exemption, and will not let visitors enter without proof of valid travel health insurance.
More info on what amount of travel health insurance you need for each country is below…
13) Stats Canada says a 'steep decline' in travel to the USA is continuing
Travel between Canada and the United States is continuing to fall, as more-stringent bborder-crossing restrictions and the trade dispute led by the Trump administration continue.
Stats Canada Trips to the USA by vehicle were down 33% in June compared to June of 2024, with trips by air down 22%.
Those decreases stand in contrast to Canadian travel overseas, which has seen a 7%increase compared to June 2024.
In May, same-day return trips were down 40% from 2024, a steeper decrease than those seen in the aftermath of the September 11th terror attacks (31%) and the 2008 financial crisis (23%). In the past 12 months, roughly 65% of Canadian land returns were from same-day excursions.
The steepest declines were found at high-volume border crossings including in Niagara Falls (45%), and at the Pacific Highway and Peace Arch crossings here in BC, down 58%.
15) Some Rogers and Fido customers have had their service cut off ahead of the end-of-month 3G shutdown
This only affects people who have old and/or super-cheap smartphone!
Rogers is set to shut down its 3G network on July 31, but without waiting till then, the Toronto-based national carrier has started cutting-off wireless service for some customers, telling them their devices aren’t compatible…
This appears to be related to voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), which has caused a lot of issues for some people with phones that aren’t sold by Rogers or Fido, such as OnePlus phones.
Phones that don’t support VoLTE will fall back to 3G for phone calls, even though the phone might show it uses 4G or LTE. Because of this, people with devices that aren’t compatible with Rogers’ VoLTE are being caught up in the 3G shutdown.
If you're on Rogers, Fido, or Chatr and have lost service, check to see if your device is compatible by using the free Rogers tool below, which you can use either by putting in your phone make and model, or by inputting its IMEI number, which you can get by punching-in * # 0 6 # …
Impacted customers are having difficulty contacting Rogers, with many reporting lengthy wait times when they call in or multi-hour lines at stores. Those who manage to get through claim customer reps push them to upgrade their devices, despite already having compatible phones. Other reps simply say they can’t help customers. Some who've gone into a Rogers store say they were able to demonstrate that they have a compatible device, and the reps were able to remove a 3G block placed on their accounts, re-enabling service.
16) Telus has started giving customers on copper-wire landline service three months to find another carrier
Over the past few years, Telus has invested many millions of dollars to replace aging copper-wire 'landline' phone service with fibr-optic VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) home phone service. But, there are still some homes here that still have copper-wire connections, either because it's too challenging and/or too expensive for crews to run fibre lines to the home.
Last week we told you about residents of three rural areas in northern BC who were being serviced by decades-old technology for which Telus could no longer get parts, and how the CRTC has allowed Telus to pull the plug in exchange for giving each affected customer about $6000 to offset the cost of them switching to more-expensive satellite phone service for three years.
Since then, we've had calls, texts, and emails from several people here who say Telus mailed them a letter advising that their copper-wire landline service was being discontinued, and giving them three months to switch to cellular or to find another carrier. Wendy texted, "Telus didn't offer me anything to get me to give up my home phone. I was on copper and got a letter and phone call in January, telling me that they were stopping my service by April, so I switched over to mobile. So, yes, it is just a matter of time."
If you're still on copper-wire landline service from Telus, you'll likely be soon getting one of these letters, as Telus hopes to shut-down that system by the end of the year. We suggest you decide now what you want to do, and consider joining the more than 80% of Canadians who Stats-Canada says have already cut the cord and have only a mobile number.
There are several reasons: one, home phones, except in a few cases, don't work when the power goes out because the calls are now carried over the internet, while mobile phones continue to work. Two, home phones cannot be used to receive text codes which most online services require for fraud prevention. And three, people can only reach you on your home phone number when you're home.
19) Don't power-off your printer — let it go to sleep and save a LOT of ink and money
Many of us were taught when growing up to turn things off when we're not using them.
But that does NOT apply to printers and other tech gear — in fact, quite the opposite.
Printers are a great example. If you look at yours, it'll have an EnergyStar sticker on it, which means it's designed to go to sleep to save energy and ink when you're not using it. If you power it off on the other hand, it will take all the ink in the printhead (about eight pages worth) and dump it into a sponge called a "printer diaper". And then, when you power the printer back on the next time you want to print something, it'll prime the printhead by squirting on average, another four pages worth of wasted ink.
Don't turn off your printer — let it go to sleep!
When you go to print something later, it'll automatically wake-up and print, without having wasted any ink, and in sleep mode, it'll use only a negligible amount of power.
If you have an older Canon printer that turns-off on its own, go into the Settings and navigate to the Eco Setting, and turn off auto-power-off. Canon had that turned-on by default on older printers, because that saved you power. But the few cents a month you save in electricity costs are vastly outweighed by the amount of money have to pay for new ink cartridges which will run-out much faster if the printer is regularly being powered-off and back on!
We also suggest you not power-off your computer — but for different reasons.
One reason is that powering-on a computer after you've powered it off, is hard on it. It's somewhat akin to taking the engine out of your car when you park it in the garage or driveway. You can do that, but it's really hard on the components.
Another reason is that computers are designed to wake up periodically when they're sleeping and do scheduled maintenance and updates so they don't slow you down when you're using them. If you power yours off when you're not using it, they get behind, and either struggle to get caught up while you're using it the next time, or they get out-of-date and things stop working.
Choose the duration that works best for you, but we generally recommend setting your computer to gfo to sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity when plugged-in. Laptops can be set for much shorter steep triggers when on battery power. If you're in the habit of closing the lid on a laptop when you're finished using it, be sure to go into the Settings at least once a month to check for updates to keep it current.
20) Avoid having to clean your printer's heads by regularly printing a colour test pattern
If you don't print very often, you can avoid having to waste a lot of ink through a head-cleaning by regularly printing a colour test pattern.
You can download and save the PDF below and print it when you haven't printed anything lately…
21) Samsung plans to release a tri-fold phone later this year
Undeterred by the slow sales of its folding phones, Samsung is pressing ahead with plans for a tri-fold phone, which you'll unfold twice to get a larger three-panel screen.
The acting head of Samsung’s Device Expertise division says the development of their long-rumoured tri-fold phone is much further along than expected.
“I expect we will be able to launch the tri-fold phone within this year,” said Tae Moon Roh. ”We are working hard on a tri-fold smartphone with the goal of launching it at the end of this year. We are now focusing on perfecting the product and its usability.”
Reports suggest that when unfolded, it'll have a 10" OLED screen, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, a 200MP main camera, a 10MP 3x camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 10MP selfie shooter. It'll reportedly cost more than four million Korean Won, which would be about $4000 CAD!
22) Anker is recalling five more PowerBank battery pack models because of fire hazard risks
Anker makes some of the best pocket battery packs on the market, but as with all products, sometimes you end up with a lemon, or in this case, ones that weren't made well-enough.
Following the recall of one model last month, Anker is now, in an abundance of caution, recalling five more models which also use lithium-ion cells from the same manufacturer as the model in the original recall. The five models being recalled are…
- Anker Power Bank (10K, 22.5W) Model A1257
- Anker Power Bank (20,000mAh, 22.5W, Built-In USB-C Cable) — Model A1647
- Anker MagGo Power Bank (10,000mAh, 7.5W) — Model A1652
- Anker Zolo Power Bank (20K, 30W, Built-In USB-C and Lightning Cable) Model A1681
- Anker Zolo Power Bank (20K, 30W, Built-In USB-C Cable) Model A1689
Instructions on how to determine if you have one of the affected models, and if so, how to get a replacement or refund, are below…
Anker
Anker Innovations Initiates Global Voluntary Recall for Selected Power Banks - Anker US - Anker
Earlier this year, Anker implemented a series of enhanced quality assurance protocols designed to detect manufacturing issues earlier in the production cycle. These safeguards—including expanded component-level audits and supplier testing—helped us identify a potential issue with common, lithium-ion battery cells from a single vendor. While the likelihood of malfunction is considered minimal, out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to initiate a voluntary global recall of several Anker p
23) Belkin is pulling the plug on almost all its Wemo brand smart home devices
14 years after Belkin entered the Smart Home market with its well-received Wemo brand of smart plugs, light switches, smart bulbs, baby monitors, kitchen appliances, heaters, air purifiers, motion sensors, and others, Belkin says it'll be pulling the plug on all but four Wemo devices at the end of January 2026.
In an email to customers, Belkin says it's decided to shift its focus elsewhere. “This decision was not made lightly,” the email reads. “Over the last decade, since Belkin first launched Wemo in 2011, we’ve been committed to providing consumers with innovative, simple-to-use accessories for a seamless smart home experience. However, as technology evolves, we must focus our resources on different parts of the Belkin business. We understand this change may disrupt your routines, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience,” the company added.
Belkin says that products still under warranty by the end-of-life date may be eligible for a partial refund and that its products configured for use with Apple’s HomeKit will continue to function even without Wemo’s cloud services and the Wemo app.
It’s becoming increasingly common for companies to simply end support for their older smart home products without any technical reason to do so. Instead, these moves allow companies — as Belkin alludes to — to refocus their efforts on more profitable areas of their businesses.
TechCrunch
Belkin ends support for most Wemo devices and its Wemo app
Another day, another smart device bites the dust -- or, in this case, a full lineup of smart devices. On Thursday, Belkin announced it will end technical support for its older Wemo products as of January 31, 2026, and the app used to control the devices will no longer be supported. The decision will impact a range of devices, including smart plugs, light switches, smart bulbs, baby monitors, kitchen appliances, heaters, air purifiers, motion sensors, and more.
If you have an affected Wemo smart device, find out if you're eligible for a partial refund here…
25) We've also started compiling a list of our favourite phone apps
The "Our Favourite Apps" list — which will have a lot more added in the coming weeks — is on our home page, and you can also get to it by going to Tech-Talk.ca/apps.
Happy 28th anniversary, Suzanne! ❤️
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…